Most of my Christmas presents this year were bottles of limoncello, a delicious lemony liqueur that originated on the Italian island of Capri. One surmises that they have bumper crops of lemons each winter, much as we do here in Southern California. Aside from being an incredibly tasty quaff (particularly once the hot weather hits), this is a fabulously thrifty gift: I reused lemonade and vinegar bottles with resealable caps, and since the liqueur is made only with peels, you still have all that lovely juice to make into lemon curd (as my mom did for her gifts), or to freeze in small blocks to be used once citrus season wanes.

I made my limoncello 100% organic by using Rain vodka (which is only 80 proof, but has a wallet-friendly pricepoint and notable smoothness) and organic sugar (which gave it that mellow earthy color, as opposed to the almost neon yellow that processed sugar allows). And of course, organic lemons from my dad’s bounteous tree.

It’s a perfect warm-weather aperitivo (pre-dinner drink) or digestivo (after-dinner drink); due to its sweetness, I would emphasize the latter. But mixed with soda water, this makes a refreshing grown-up soda, very much akin to San Pellegrino Limonata–with a kick. Read on… »

This is my restaurant Warszawa’s recipe for a delicious Apple Martini with a Polish twist. It is a variation on a common Polish drink called szarlotka, vodka and apple juice, which made Żubrówka a favorite among Polish university students.

For a totally different taste experience, you can use Żubrówka to make your favorite martini, or just drink it straight from a small frozen glass. Remember to sip slowly to savor the great taste of Żubrówka and to keep your socks on—and always keep your vodka in the freezer. Read on… »

Sledz w Smietani (creamed herring) is a favorite accompaniment to Żubrówka, a Polish vodka flavored with bison grass. Serve on thickly cut slices of rustic black bread with a good thick crust and sweet butter.

Ingredients

(Serves 4) Read on… »

One of the great pleasures of being the owner of Warszawa—the only Polish restaurant in Santa Monica, California, and one of very few in all of Los Angeles—is introducing people not only to my homeland’s cuisine but also to our unusual cocktails. Some of the tastiest, and most interesting, are those made with Polish vodkas.

In Poland’s long and heavy winters, a little alcohol has been a must to keep spirits up. And for millennia, the country’s fertile lands have produced an abundance of different types of grains including rye, buckwheat, and oats, among others. These grains were used to distill alcohol that was flavored not only with a variety of herbs, but also exotic spices, because Poland was right in the middle of the famous spice trail from Asia. Read on… »

In December, Spooning published Liz Crain’s story about Oregon’s Clear Creek Distillery and her experience harvesting Douglas fir branches for its unique Doug Fir Eau de Vie. Today’s “Proof” column on the New York Times‘ website has a nice piece by Steve McCarthy, Clear Creek’s proprietor and master distiller, about the painstaking, decades-long process of developing the Doug fir spirit, as well as his other concoctions, and mentions some new schmancy spirits he has in the works. Check it out!